Yarn clamping device

ABSTRACT

A yarn clamping device provides a nozzle providing a compressed air stream or a pair of compressed air streams directed to a running yarn and a plate having a wedge-shaped notch or a pair of such plates disposed on the opposite side of the running yarn from the nozzle so that upon breaking or severence of the yarn, the loose end thereof will be blown against the notch in the adjacent plate or plates where it will be held in place.

United States Patent [191 Haberkern 1 YARN CLAMPING DEVICE [75] Inventor: Klaus Haberkern, Uster,

Switzerland [73] Assignee: Zellweger, Ltd., Uster, Switzerland [22] Filed: Sept. 5, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 394,455

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 19, 1975 2,958,922 10/1960 Abbott 28/64 3,115,691 12/1963 Bunting, Jr. et a1. 28/l.4 3,333,313 8/1967 Gilmore et a1. 1 28/1.4 3,614,817 10/1971 Nicita et a1. 28/l.4

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 759,188 10/1956 United Kingdom 57/345 Primary Examiner-Mervin Stein Attorney, Agent, or FirmCraig & Antonelli 57 ABSTRACT A yarn clamping device provides a nozzle providing a compressed airstream or a pair of compressed air streams directed to a running yarn and a plate having a wedge-shaped notch or a pair of such plates disposed on the opposite side of the running yarn from the nozzle so that upon breaking or severence of the yarn, the loose end thereof will be blown against the notch in the adjacent plate or plates where it will be held in place.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures nAumms 3,899,809

SI'IZET 2 [1F 2 10 17 18 19 0 Fig.6

YARN CLAMPING DEVICE The present invention relates in general to textile devices, and more particularly to a yarn clamping device for holding yarn ends at predetermined places in textile machines.

The purpose of the present invention is to clamp yarn ends immediately, as soon as the yarn has broken. For example, where the yarn has been severed by a yarn cleaner, the present invention may serve to hold in place the yarn end which has originated therefrom, so that this end does not leave its predetermined place due to its weight or its elasticity. This is especially important in automatically operating machines which require that the yarn ends be detachable at an exactly defined place, for example, if the loose yarn ends have to be picked up by an automatic gripping device.

Various mechanically or electromagnetically operating yarns clamps are known. Generally, they consist of a clamping face or a slider which will be closed in synchronism with the action of the yarn cleaner. In the case of a yarn cleaner, the time sequence is adjusted so that, as a first step, the clamp is closed, and immediately thereafter, as the second step, the electromagnetic knife severs the yarn. However, these devices present various disadvantages. For example, the time of occurrence of the clamping effect depends upon the reaction time of the yarn monitor and therefore operation of the clamp is not always precise. In addition, the movable parts of the clamp must represent high precision and are, consequently, very expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, the clamping faces are subjected to a considerable wear by the running yarn so that their gripping ability tends to deteriorate with use.

A further disadvantage of the mechanical yarn clamp, which is combined with a yarn cleaner, results from the small distance between the clamping face and the cutting place due to the essentially small dimensions of the yarn cleaner. In consequence, the fibers of the clamped yarn are extracted partially so that the clamping effect is decreased.

Besides the mechanical yarn clamps, yarn capturers operating with vacuum also are used. These consist of a vacuum opening placed near the running yarn and through which air is continuously aspired. As soon as the yarn breaks for any reason, the yarn end is sucked into the vacuum opening. However, serious disadvantages also reside in such yarn capturers. For example, vacuum is an expensive medium to generate, and therefore, in consideration of the large number of yarn capturers which have to be installed in spinning machines the cost of such an installation is quite high. In addition, the vacuum opening has to be equipped with a filter so that the yarn does not enter the vacuum pump. Additionally, in normal operation a certain yarn piece is sucked into the vacuum system, which piece of yarn is not further usable, therefore resulting in loss and waste of material. Finally, each yarn capturer has to be equipped with a yarn severing device which severs the yarn piece inside the vacuum system as soon as the yarn gripper has secured the yarn end outside of the vacuum pipe. Thus, the equipment is naturally complicated leading to difficulties in manufacturing and maintenance.

The present invention avoids these disadvantages in providing a more effective yarn clamping device for holding yarn ends at predetermined places in textile machines, characterized by the combination of at least one nozzle disposed beside the running yarn through which compressed air streams to the yarn, and a notch or an edge is arranged on the opposite side of the yarn in a yarn holder, in which notch or edge the loose yarn end is urged by said compressed air stream after the break or severance of the yarn, and these yarn ends are bent in the direction of the air stream to hold the yarn in place against the forces of gravity or the elasticity of the yarn.

It is an advantage of the yarn clamping device of the present invention that l. the clamping device is operable continuously, independent from a yarn monitor;

2. the production of the required compressed air is cheaper than the production of vacuum, and additionally the air consumption is substantially smaller;

3. no friction occurs between the running yarn and the clamping parts, therefore no wear occurs in the holding part;

4. no extra high precision of the parts is required since no precisely inter-fitting clamping jaws are required;

5. the removal of the yarn by a gripping device requires neither the unlocking of a holding device, nor a cutting operation by a cutting device;

6. the holding force can be controlled by adjusting the air pressure;

7. the yarn clamping device removes automatically any dust from certain places of the machine by means of the air stream produced thereby; and

8. no substantial maintenance is required in view of the simplicity of the device.

Details of the invention appear in the course of the following description of various preferred embodiments as illustrated in the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a yarn clamping device in accordance with the present invention with a running yarn in operating position with respect thereto;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detail end view of the holding notch as seen along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the device of FIG. 1 illustrating a clamped yarn;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of a yarn clamping device in accordance with this invention; and

FIG. 6 is a side view partly in section of a further embodiment of the invention.

A nozzle 10 with a bore 11 is connected to a source of compressed air (not shown) and directs an air stream 12 towards the yarn 13. As long as the yarn 13 runs and is, therefore, subject to a mechanical tension, the air stream cannot deflect the yarn 13 to any signifi- .cant extent from its course. Opposite the nozzle 10 there is disposed a plate 14 which contains at the side facing the nozzle a notch 15 having tapered edge areas 16. As soon as the yarn looses its tension due to a yarn break or yarn severence, the air stream blows the free yarn end into the notch, where the yarn end is bent in a direction transverse to the normal path of the yarn at the areas 16 and is held between the edges formed by the areas 16. The clamping effect at these edges and the bend of the yarn are sufficient to carry the weight of the yarn as well as the eventually existing elastic tensions in the yarn. Therefore, the yarn end remains in the notch and can be removed by mechanical means. or by hand if desired nevertheless without any significant force.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the status of a yarn under tension between the nozzle 10 and the plate 14; while, FIG. 4 shows the status of a broken yarn 13 which is urged into the notch and bent over the plate under the influence of the air stream.

H6. 5 shows a nozzle with two openings 11 and 11 extending substantially in parallel in a direction toward the plate 14 for the production of two air streams 12 and 12', respectively, lying in a plane transverse to the yarn. This arrangement is advantageous if the yarn has a relatively thick cross section, whereby a single air stream would improperly deviate the yarn in a direction besides that toward the notch 15. The duplicated air stream avoids this improper deviation of the yarn.

FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment of the yarn clamping device which can be useful for increased pretensions. It represents a nozzle 10 with two openings 17 and 17 lying in a plane parallel to the yarn, as well as two plates 19 and 19'. Each of these plates contain a notch 18 and 18, respectively. The faces 20 which form the notch are tapered from both sides of the plates. The bending edges are, therefore, situated in the middle of the plates. The broken yarn will be pressed to the notches l8 and 18' by each of the openings 17 and 17 and assumes an E-shaped course. The result resides in an increased clamping effect, compared with the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2. This can be advantageous if yarns with a great elasticity have to be manufactured.

Although exemplary embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and discussed, it will be understood that other applications of the invention are possible and that the embodiments disclosed may be subjected to various changes, modifications and substitutions without necessarily departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A yarn clamping device for holding the end of a running yarn in place in a textile machine, comprising,

means disposed adjacent the running yarn for projecting at least one stream of compressed air at the yarn, and

a yarn holder including at least one plate having an edge disposed adjacent said running yarn on the opposite side thereof from said means projecting said compressed air stream, said plate having a wedge-shaped notch along which the loose end of a broken or severed yarn is urged by said compressed air stream around said edge, said notch acting as a guide for enabling said loose end to be held in place in a direction transverse to the direction of the running yarn, wherein said means for projecting at least one stream of compressed air comprises a nozzle having two air passages to which compressed air is supplied to provide two streams of compressed air, said nozzle being disposed with said running yarn positioned at a point between said air streams so as to intercept a portion of each stream, said wedgeshaped notch facing said running yarn and said plate lying in a 5 plane transverse to said running yarn.

2. A yarn clamping device for holding the end of a running yarn in place in a textile machine, comprising means disposed adjacent the running yarn for projecting at least one stream of compressed air at the yarn, and

a yarn holder having an edge disposed adjacent said running yarn on the opposite side thereof from said means projecting said compressed air stream, so that the loose end of a broken or severed yarn is urged by said compressed air stream around said edge in a direction transverse to the direction of the running yarn, wherein said means for projecting at least one stream of compressed air comprises a nozzle having two air passages to which compressed air is supplied to provide two streams of compressed air, said nozzle being disposed with said air passages in a plane including said running yarn, and

said yarn holder comprising a pair of plates each hav- 2 ing an edge facing said running yarn in substantial alignment with a respective one of said two air passages, said plates being disposed transverse to said running yarn.

3. A yarn clamping device as defined in claim 2, wherein said edge in each plate is provided in the form of a wedge-shaped notchhaving tapered edges facing said running yarn.

4. A yarn clamping device for holding the end of a running yarn in place in a textile machine, comprising means disposed adjacent the running yarn for projecting at least one stream of compressed air at the yarn, and

a yarn holder having an edge disposed adjacent said running yarn on the opposite side thereof from said means projecting said compressed air stream, so that the loose end of a broken or severed yarn is urged by said compressed air stream around said edge in a direction transverse to the direction of the running yarn, wherein said means for projecting at least one stream of compressed air comprises a nozzle having two air passages to which compressed air is supplied to provide two streams of compressed air, said nozzle being disposed with said air passages in a plane including said running yarn, and said yarn holder comprises a pair of plates each having an edge facing said running yarn in substantial alignment with a respective one of said two air passages, said plates being disposed transverse to said running yarn and said edge in each plate is provided in the form of a wedge-shaped notch having tapered edges facing said running yarn. 

1. A yarn clamping device for holding the end of a running yarn in place in a textile machine, comprising, means disposed adjacent the running yarn for projecting at least one stream of compressed air at the yarn, and a yarn holder including at least one plate having an edge disposed adjacent said running yarn on the opposite side thereof from said means projecting said compressed air stream, said plate having a wedge-shaped notch along which the loose end of a broken or severed yarn is urged by said compressed air stream around said edge, said notch acting as a guide for enabling said loose end to be held in place in a direction transverse to the direction of the running yarn, wherein said means for projecting at least one stream of compressed air comprises a nozzle having two air passages to which compressed air is supplied to provide two streams of compressed air, said nozzle being disposed with said running yarn positioned at a point between said air streams so as to intercept a portion of each stream, said wedgeshaped notch facing said running yarn and said plate lying in a plane transverse to said running yarn.
 2. A yarn clamping device for holding the end of a running yarn in place in a textile machine, comprising means disposed adjacent the running yarn for projecting at least one stream of compressed air at the yarn, and a yarn holder having an edge disposed adjacent said running yarn on the opposite side thereof from said means projecting said compressed air stream, so that the loose end of a broken or severed yarn is urged by said compressed air stream around said edge in a direction transverse to the direction of the running yarn, wherein said means for projecting at least one stream of compressed air comprises a nozzle having two air passages to which compressed air is supplied to provide two streams of compressed air, said nozzle being disposed with said air passages in a plane including said running yarn, and said yarn holder comprising a pair of plates each having an edge facing said running yarn in substantial alignment with a respective one of said two air passages, said plates being disposed transverse to said running yarn.
 3. A yarn clamping device as defined in claim 2, wherein said edge in each plate is provided in the form of a wedge-shaped notch having tapered edges facing said running yarn.
 4. A yarn clamping device for holding the end of a running yarn in place in a textile machine, comprising means disposed adjacent the running yarn for projecting at least one stream of compressed air at the yarn, and a yarn holder having an edge disposed adjacent said running yarn on the opposite side thereof from said means projecting said compressed air stream, so that the loose end of a broken or severed yarn is urged by said compressed air stream around said edge in a direction transverse to the direction of the running yarn, wherein said means for projecting at least one stream of compressed air comprises a nozzle having two air passages to which compressed air is supplied to provide two streams of compressed air, said nozzle being disposed with said air passages in a plane including said running yarn, and said yarn holder comprises a pair of plates each having an edge facing said running yarn in substantial alignment with a respective one of said two air passages, said plates being disposed transverse to said running yarn and said edge in each plate is provided in the form of a wedge-shaped notch having tapered edges facing said running yarn. 